The International Contemporary Ensemble has been working with Tri-Centric Foundation and Nokia Bell Labs Experiments in Art and Technology on structuring multi-site collaborations. This research will be put into action with a livestream performance of work by Anthony Braxton, under the direction of James Fei, and a world premiere of Bergrun Snaebjornsdottir’s Ecognosis. Ensemble members will be joined by special guests Fay Victor and Darius Jones as well as musicians in Reykjavik, Skerpla Ensemble from Iceland University of the Arts (IUA), for this synchronous livestream.
International Contemporary Ensemble
Fay Victor, voice
Joshua Rubin, clarinet
Darius Jones, saxophone
Rebekah Heller, bassoon
Josh Modney, violin
Kyle Armbrust, viola
Michael Nicolas, cello
Maciej Lewandowski, tech/production
Nicholas Houfek, lighting
Ross Karre, video design
Skerpla Ensemble – Iceland University of the Arts (IUA)
Berglind María Tómasdóttir, flute
Alvar Rosell Martin, clarinet
John McCowen, clarinet
Ana Luisa S. Diaz De Cossio, violin
Sigurður Halldórsson, cello
Khetsin Chuchan, piano
James Fei, conductor
Dark Music Days is an Icelandic contemporary music festival held annually in Reykjavík, Iceland. Dark Music Days provides the foremost platform for showcasing innovative and progressive contemporary music in Iceland. Established by the Society of Icelandic Composers in 1980, the festival places emphasis on premiering new and often experimental pieces that reflect the ever-growing diversity and creativity of contemporary music. The festival is today one of the most important festivals of contemporary music in Iceland, where the music of Icelandic composers blends with current events and renowned international music. The role of Dark Music Days in the musical community in Iceland is vital both as an eye-opener for the general public and as a place where composers and musicians can experience new music for inspiration. Dark Music Days is currently programmed by Ásmundur Jónsson.
The focus of the festival is to encourage new projects to happen and the festival seeks to include as many premieres as possible, making the festival daring in terms of programming events. Dark Music Days presents more premieres of new works every year than any other Icelandic event. It is a festival celebrating the wealth of contemporary music creation in Iceland, bringing together a variety of concerts including compositions in different styles by diverse composers. Dark Music Days puts an emphasis on presenting composers and performers ranging in age, nationality and gender while presenting the versatile contemporary music scene in Iceland. http://www.darkmusicdays.is
CREDITS
The International Contemporary Ensemble is grateful for the support of the NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund in The New York Community Trust in making this program possible. The International Contemporary Ensemble is the Ensemble in Residence of the Nokia Bell Labs Experiments in Art and Technology.
Bergrun Snæbjörnsdóttir’s Ecognosis was developed through the Ensemble’s icecommons Artist-in-Residence program, with lead support from Jerome Foundation.
This engagement is supported by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Performances and commissioning activities during the 2020–21 concert season are made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc., Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Amphion Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Pacific Harmony Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, The Casement Fund, BMI Foundation, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for the International Contemporary Ensemble.
This performance is a co-production between Roulette and International Contemporary Ensemble..